# Elvis

/ˈɛɫvɪs/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/elvis
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. the singer

noun · CEFR B1

Elvis Presley, a very famous American rock and roll singer from the 1950s to the 1970s.

For teachers: Elvis Presley (1935–1977), the American singer and actor widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century.

- My grandmother still has all her old Elvis records in the attic.
- The cultural impact of Elvis on the development of rock and roll remains a central topic in modern musicology.

### 2. an impersonator

noun · CEFR B2

a performer who dresses like Elvis Presley and sings his songs.

For teachers: A professional or amateur performer who mimics the appearance, voice, and stage presence of Elvis Presley.

- We saw a great Elvis at the talent show last night.
- The annual festival in Parkes attracts hundreds of Elvises from across the globe, each competing for the title of best tribute artist.

### 3. programming operator

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a shortcut in computer code that gives a default value if something is missing.

For teachers: A binary operator (written as ?:) that returns its first operand if it is non-null, and its second operand otherwise.

- You can use the Elvis operator to keep your code short and clean.
- The developer refactored the conditional logic using an Elvis operator to handle potential null pointer exceptions more elegantly.

Usage: The term is derived from the operator's appearance (?:), which resembles Elvis Presley's hair quiff when viewed sideways.

## Examples

- You should use the Elvis operator to avoid a null pointer error.
- The developer refactored the code to use an Elvis operator, ensuring the application wouldn't crash when a user profile was missing.
- By implementing the Elvis operator within the data-binding logic, the team significantly reduced the amount of boilerplate code required for null-safety checks across the entire front-end architecture.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.